it would be nice to see a new subforum in example in lounge where no one but the mods and administrators could add threads and only the threads that are the epic conversations that have taken place on this forum. those that are tens of pages in length. ive come across with many these kinds of threads on all topics and they are a bit difficult to find. if someone wants to put this effort in i think people can benefit from reading those through finding them easily.

just a suggestion

If the thought of demons Never rises in your mind, You need not fear the demon hosts around you. It is most important to tame your mind within....

In so far as the Ultimate, or the true nature of being is concerned, there are neither buddhas or demons. He who frees himself from fear and hope, evil and virtue, will realize the insubstantial and groundless nature of confusion. Samsara will then appear as the mahamudra itself….

Other ideas for subforums include Rimé under the Tibetan Buddhism heading (since great masters like the Khyentse & Kongtrul Rinpoches really don't fit into neat little categories like "Sakya," "Nyingma" and the like), and one for Archaeology/Artifacts/Relics.

"The Sutras, Tantras, and Philosophical Scriptures are great in number. However life is short, and intelligence is limited, so it's hard to cover them completely. You may know a lot, but if you don't put it into practice, it's like dying of thirst on the shore of a great lake. Likewise, it happens that a common corpse is found in the bed of a great scholar." ~ Karma Chagme

I respectfully disagree about a Rime subforum. Rime is not some sort of hodge-podge made up from parts and pieces of various lineages. It is merely respect for all traditions and lineages, seeing each as valid and useful in its own right. As an extension of this, someone who describes themself as rime is likely to practice sadhanas from more than one lineage. However, when it comes to practice, one still does Nyingma practice, Kagyud practice, Sakya practice each according to their standard tradition. Therefore, anything that needs to be discussed about these practices or practitioners who have done/are doing these practice can be found under the categories that are already in use.

If one wants to discuss rime as a historical movement within TB, that can be done as a thread in the academics section. (I trust there is some sort of subforum for academic discussions.)

I acknowledge your point. One who is Rimé is not supposed to jump around from lineage to lineage haphazardly, but rather have a firm basis in their primary lineage and maintain respect for the others and realizing their usefulness in taming beings with various capacities and preferences. Practice questions and discussion should most definitely be directed to the appropriate area (and more importantly, brought to the attention of one's lama).

That said, if one wishes to discuss some of the great Rimé masters, currently there are only the Tibetan Buddhism forum in general, a subforum for one of the schools (i.e. Nyingma, Sakya, Kagyu, Geluk, Jonang, Bön), or the subforums for the profound teachings of Mahamudra & Dzogchen.

As I mentioned before, these masters don't really fit into such neat categories. Take Kyabjé Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche for example: he's technically Nyingma, as he was educated at Shechen monastery and several of his gurus were from there. But one of his most important gurus was Dzongsar Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö, technically a Sakypa (though also a great Rimé master not easily pigeonholed). He also was both guru and student to many great lamas, including HH the 14th Dalai Lama, who said that he'd received important transmissions and empowerments of all the schools from Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

Discussion of such figures would, to my mind at least, be facilitated by a Rimé subforum. Simply put, not all of us check the forums for all the different schools, for the same reason you indicated---wanting to have a firm basis in the lineage we study and practice. But more people from all schools would be inclined to check the Rimé threads in appreciation of the great Rimepas past and present, rather than having to search high and low through the various schools to see where these figures happened to be classified under...

Perhaps it could help break down some of the barriers we artificially construct around our "solid" identities as practitioners.

"The Sutras, Tantras, and Philosophical Scriptures are great in number. However life is short, and intelligence is limited, so it's hard to cover them completely. You may know a lot, but if you don't put it into practice, it's like dying of thirst on the shore of a great lake. Likewise, it happens that a common corpse is found in the bed of a great scholar." ~ Karma Chagme

Malcolm, I respectfully and earnestly disagree. It literally means "unbiased" or "non-sectarian."

One can still be sectarian and claim to be a Dzogchenpa, just as one can be sectarian and claim to be a Chakchenpa/Mahamudrika(?). Rimé isn't a Nyingmapa or Dzogchenpa movement any more than it is exclusive to any other group or practice. Just the opposite; it's inclusive.

Besides, I'm reasonably certain that the three pillars of Rimé---Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (a Sakyapa), Jamgön Kongtrul Lodrö Thayé (a Kagyupa), and Chokgyur Lingpa (a Nyingmapa)---would all agree that Dzogchen and Mahamudra are different labels for the same state of being and highest truth.

"The Sutras, Tantras, and Philosophical Scriptures are great in number. However life is short, and intelligence is limited, so it's hard to cover them completely. You may know a lot, but if you don't put it into practice, it's like dying of thirst on the shore of a great lake. Likewise, it happens that a common corpse is found in the bed of a great scholar." ~ Karma Chagme